The 55th Annual Midwest RV Supershow returns this weekend (Aug. 13-15) to a new downtown venue in Elkhart, Ind., after being canceled last year during the economic doldrums.

”We have 10 dealers and the total number of units will be about 140 when all is said and done,” said Mark Bowersox, director of the Indiana Manufactured Housing Association/Recreation Vehicle Indiana Council(IMHA/RVIC), which is sponsoring the event on Elkhart’s Civic Plaza.

”This is the first time we are having it downtown.”

Bowersox estimated that some 8,000 RV enthusiasts will attend the show for which IMHA/RVIC and the city of Elkhart committed more than $80,000 in advertising.

”We are feeling pretty good right now,” said Arvis Dawson, executive assistant to Elkhart Mayor Dick Moore. ”We are getting calls from all over the U.S. from people who heard that the show has returned to Elkhart. There seems to be a lot of interest.”

The show was canceled last year for lack of support. ”Having a show 55 out of 56 years isn’t bad,” Bowersox said. ”The state of the industry and the retail body was down last year.”

Bowersox said the economy in Elkhart, the so-called ”RV Capital of the World,” is recovering. ”’The local dealers here have shown a rebound since last year and sales have been solid,” he added. ”And the city has been extraordinarily supportive of this event. There’s been some discussion the last couple of years about whether the state and the city appreciate what they have in the RV industry. This is an indication that the city does appreciate what it has in the RV industry.”

With a late-summer show, dealers have an opportunity, Bowersox noted, to clear out inventory before the 2011 model year begins. ”Everybody’s got an eye on the end of the selling season already,” he said. ”This is a chance for dealers to get rid of some of the 2010 product before the new model year.”